Police resorts to lathi charge on protesting farmers in Odisha

Tension prevailed in Puri district of Odisha on Wednesday afternoon after police resorted to a lathi charge on farmers staging road blockade on National Highway-316 alleging government’s apathy towards farmers’ community.

According to reports, activists of Satyabadi Nilachal Krushak Mahasangh (SNKM) were staging protest on the NH near Satyabadi block office demanding fulfilment of their 90-point charter of demands including Rs 500 minimum support price of paddy, Rs 12 selling price of coconut and exemption of electricity duty for irrigation.

In order to facilitate vehicular movement which was disrupted due to the blockade as hundreds of vehicles remained stranded on both sides of the road, police lathi charged on the activists who were having food on road following which they ran helter-skelter.